Sarcastic Chipmunks in Space Age Forests
by lavendercookie
Summary: A shy seamstress and her kid sister spread some winter cheer to their friends. It's not as easy as it looks, but they can fake their way through it! A gift for Shimmerleaf for this season's Secret Santa story exchange on the forums.
1. The Final Frontier

**Merry Christmas, Shimmerleaf :) I hope it is close to something you'd like. Sorry it's a week late, but I guess that just means it's Christmas AGAIN for you! **

* * *

Luna was watching TV, anxiously twirling her long, pink pigtails and biting her lip. She was completely ignoring the weather forecast despite staring directly at it. The pink headed, "averagely-short" seventeen year old was focused on much more important things than the weather.

That day, she was expecting a special guest. She had been lonely in the absence of a boy in her life, and she was finally taking a proactive approach to the issue. It was quite nerve wracking for the girl despite her usual confidence. In order to impress that day's guest, she had let her hair down; she thought it looked good, but decided to put it back into her usual pigtails after all. _Twice_. Soon, there were only three minutes left until her guest said that he would come by. Luna turned her hands over in her lap to keep them busy and prevent them from quickly letting her hair down again.

Why was she even so nervous?_ It's not as though today is a big deal. Hmm, yeah. Nothing to worry about. I'll just be casual and show off how mature and composed of a young lady I—._

A knock on the door interrupted her thoughts. She called out to Candace, her older sister, at the top of her lungs, "Chase is here! Um… oh damn, Candace get the door!" Luna ran into her bedroom quickly and stopped in front of the mirror and played with her hair. "Get the door!" She pleaded, muffled by her bedroom walls.

Candace, for all her love for Luna, considered ignoring Luna's plea. She was uncomfortable answering the door, to be honest. She knew of the person who was coming, but felt like she didn't _really _know Chase, which made her anxious. She wanted to be anywhere else but in front of that door.

Candace's hand hovered above the door's handle. She was about to open it when Luna called from her room, "sis, hurry!" Candace paused, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. _I was going to… I was going to but then you startled me and…_

She sighed and cut her thoughts off to avoid antagonizing her only sister and best friend, and yanked the front door open.

"She sure yells loudly," Chase joked as Candace stood rigid in the doorframe. His dirty blonde, unruly hair was pinned back in a slightly feminine style, as he often wore it when he waited tables at the inn.

"Oh, uh… Luna, you meant" Candace choked out as she stood nervously, feeling a bead of sweat drip down her back despite the winter chill that was pouring in through the wide open door.

Chase opened his mouth to continue, but he caught a bright pink flash in his peripheral vision. He could have sworn he saw… He looked down. "Hey," He offered a wave to Luna, who was standing in front of him, stretching all the way up to Candace's shoulder.

"Hi Chase!" Luna bubbled happily. She was splitting her attention between entertaining her guest and tying her loose hair up into pigtails. "Come in; sit down!" She said once she had tied her hair haphazardly, allowing herself to give the guest her full attention.

A second passed as Chase stood in the doorway. He raised his hand slowly and snapped his fingers gently. "Earth to Candace… can I get by?" He grinned as the girl standing in the doorway perked up and mumbled a wide-eyed, frantic apology.

Luna ignored her sister's obstinate stare and led Chase to a couch. Candace melted away into another room, her cheeks red as an apple, but not because of the cold air.

"Can I get you anything? Want a Christmas cookie?" Luna offered a tray to Chase as he sat down.

"Water please." Chase said, noticing the disappointment in Luna's face. "Those cookies don't look very good, no offense," he clarified.

"Okay…" Luna's expression sunk further as she rushed to the kitchen. However, she returned with a brighter face and two glasses of water, one for Chase, and one for herself. As an afterthought, she grabbed a Christmas tree-shaped cookie, and grinned as she chomped down on it. Chase's eye twitched a little as he watched Luna bite into the flaky brown treat; he hurriedly squinted and knocked back some water in order to distract from his mind's fantasies of how awful the simple-looking cookie must have tasted.

They sat and chatted as Luna finished her cookie. Afterwards, Chase changed the subject of conversation so as to address the reason he was called over. "So what have you got so far?"

He was, of course, bringing up Mayor Hamilton's Community Christmas Secret Santa Gift Exchange Extravaganza. Luna had invited Chase over to help her with the particularly difficult assignment she was given. Not only was it going to be a challenge, but she had procrastinated and it was already December 23rd; Luna had less than 24 hours to figure out what she should get for her recipient.

"I haven't thought of anything! That's where you come in bub!" Luna jabbed Chase playfully with her finger. "What do twelve year old boys like?"

Chase nervously chuckled to himself. Luna indignantly asked what was so funny, but Chase brushed her concerns off, "Nothing, don't worry about it." He smiled at Luna, who was relieved and shot her own nervous smile back.

Chase continued. "Okay, let's think. Guys that age generally have one or two big interests… any gift related to his main interest is sure get a good reaction."

"But what does Bo like?" Luna asked, exasperatedly.

"How should I know, Luna?" Chase asked. "You wanted my insight and that's what I gave to you. Maybe he likes cars, or video games, or… or trees… something like that!" Chase shrugged.

"But I have no idea!" Luna whined.

"Well, why don't you go talk to him discreetly and find out?" Chase was indifferent in his tone.

Luna pleaded to Chase. "Come on, he's like… _twelve_. We've never even talked once!"

"What?" Chase's stoic silence stopped—He sounded slightly shocked. In a small community such as that on Waffle Island, it was indeed a surprise to hear that two people had never even spoken once. "Ok, go find him now; you know where he lives right?"

Luna nodded tentatively.

"Good, if you leave now, you'll catch him in time to introduce yourself. A strong community is a happy one, anyways." Chase advised strongly.

"That's so awkward, I can't just—" Luna started, but was cut off before finishing.

"Bring some Christmas cookies for his family. I'm sure they'll love you for it. They look… interesting," Chase lied though gritted teeth.

Luna blushed. "O-Okay. Will you wait? When I get back, if you want we can watch some TV, or… a movie and like… I don't know…" Luna blushed, but Chase missed it.

"I have to get home eventually, but good luck! Enjoy some quality time with your neighbours!" Chase yawned.

"But _you're_ my neighbour!" Luna complained.

Chase looked at her sternly and frowned, "Go!"

"Okay, okay! I'll be back in a few minutes. Stay here! Wait, I'll make you a hot drink for the meantime." Luna was fussing in the kitchen area but Chase stopped her by putting a hand on her head, which was readily available and at perfect hand height.

"If you insist that I have a drink, I can help myself… Thanks, it _is_ actually pretty cold in here." Chase sighed, but picked up his energy. "Hey, stop stalling! Go be a good neighbour to Bo."

"Okay fine! Drink slowly, I'll be back soon!" Luna cooed, as she grabbed a Tupperware container full of Christmas cookies and literally ran out of the door.

As the door slammed behind Luna, Chase was left alone in the tailor's shop where the two sisters lived, confused and slightly amused at Luna's obliviousness. _She's… different?_ Chase thought to himself, with a wry smirk betraying his thoughts. _Kind of cute… maybe._ He rolled his eyes and walked over to the kitchen.

Despite Chase's usual confidence, he noticed that it was a bit awkward for him to invade someone else's kitchen—their _private_ place to explore the wonder of all things culinary. He opened an overhead cupboard. _Empty_. He tried another… _just_ _some measuring cups and a tin of cocoa powder_. It struck him that Luna probably only used the storage below the counter, and he let out a quiet laugh to himself.

Chase felt more and more uncomfortable being the kitchen as he realized that Luna's sister was actually still in the house. What if Candace thought he had left, and came out of her room only to find the waiter there instead of Luna? _Poor Candace, I don't think her heart would be able to take the shock. _Chase thought sarcastically. _Wait, this is actually pretty awkward, though. She probably doesn't think I'm in her house with her. Uh…should I just leave now?_ He shivered as he thought about the bitter cold air outside. _Well, _that's_ anti-social._ He reasoned.

Gulping, he called out in a too-quiet voice, "Candace? Hello, Candace?"

Dead silence penetrated the house, broken only by a brief howl of the wind coming from outside the window.

Chase cleared his throat forcefully. "Candace?" he bellowed, with an embarrassing uneasiness quivering in his voice. _She must've heard that, _he thought smugly to himself.

The house remained silent for a moment, but soon Chase heard Candace's light footsteps stirring about. He was aware of how painfully shy Candace was, and the knot in his stomach grew as she slowly approached him in the kitchen.

"I-I… thought you left." Candace squeaked.

"Uh, well, you see… hmmm, Luna, well—she left to go see Bo and Luke, and she said I could…" Chase cleared his throat softly, "make myself a drink here." He squirmed a bit despite the confidence he radiated, and Candace noticed.

Candace held her hands folded in front of her. "Okay." She nodded and started walking back to her room.

"Where do you keep your cups?" Chase asked through her back, ignoring her social ineptitude.

"Sorry." Candace returned to the kitchen and pulled a cup from a corner cupboard under the counter, and passed it to Chase, who was looking through her fridge. "Here..?" She almost asked the boy. Chase was only half paying attention, however, as he was already head first in her refrigerator.

"You have apple cider! And oranges! And," He whipped around with purpose to inspect a spice rack on the counter. "Oh, this is going to be great!" He said, whipping out the cider and orange from the fridge.

Candace stood awkwardly in the kitchen watching Chase, unmoving and slightly fascinated at the frenzy with which he prepared his work area.

"I'll make enough for both of us! Get excited!" Chase gushed as he inspected the necessary ingredients for his famous mulled apple cider.

He didn't need to tell Candace twice. She was already excited, and not just by the prospect of a free, delicious drink. As she looked on, her mouth watered and she almost cracked a smile. She watched Chase search the kitchen for things that struck his fancy; he was already much more comfortable working in the foreign kitchen than he was earlier with Candace being in the room as well.

Candace felt butterflies rising in her stomach. All she wanted to do was say something, _anything,_ to the curious boy in her kitchen, but she fought a losing battle with her inhibitions. She kicked herself as she watched the time elapse and Chase drew nearer to finishing the cider. She opened her mouth on multiple occasions, but no words came out. She just stood there behind Chase, wordlessly searching for utensils and bowls and passing them to him when he asked.

Soon, there was a brief pause. Chase smiled and looked at Candace. "Perfect" He stared at the confused Candace, who leaned backwards against the kitchen counter.

She smiled nervously.

"Here, pass me the cups!" He said, snapping Candace out of her own little world, as per usual.

She pulled her smile into a tight lipped face, looked at the floor and blushed, handing Chase two clear blue mugs with snowmen painted on them without meeting his eyes. He artfully poured cider from the pot on the stove into a glass pitcher through a sieve, and from the pitcher into the two cups. He carried them both to a table in front of the couch and then sat down.

Candace, however, remained standing for a moment in front of the couch where Chase was already seated, and then let out a deep breath. She suddenly felt like she was troubling Chase by being there. After all, he came to see Luna, not her. She looked nervously over her shoulder to the door that lead to her room, planning out an escape route.

Chase chuckled and closed his eyes while sighing. "Sit down. You're making me nervous."

This broke through to Candace's brain and caused her to rush down onto the couch. She sat, but still looked away from Chase, staring longingly at her bedroom door.

Chase looked concerned at the display. "Hey, Candace. Are you okay? You look kind of… _spacey_." He was sarcastic but wasn't making fun of her. Candace was just intriguing in the eyes of the waiter.

She was out of her element indeed; she was uncomfortable, but she was far from being unhappy. She was doing alright with the social situation, and she managed to give Chase a tentative smile, despite the nervousness mounting inside of her. Chase looked relieved and smiled back.

"You're shaking," Chase noticed, aloud.

"I-I… what?" Candace feigned ignorance. It was the first time she met someone outside of her family who made her feel even slightly at ease. Of _course_ she was shaking. "It's just… really cold." She muttered, and began shaking even more, as she noticed that it was, in fact, freezing cold in the room.

"You look like a sad little puppy." Chase mocked. Candace remained silent but pulled her arms into her chest, which was as much an attempt to keep herself warm as it was an attempt to help her feel more secure. Chase words struck a chord with her. She _felt _like that. She felt helpless, and not just that day, but for longer than she cared to remember. If only she had met Chase when they were younger, instead of… instead of _him_. She squeezed her eyes shut and sighed to herself silently.

Chase looked at Candace with a concerned expression. He could tell that she was lost in thought. _What else is new?_ He thought, sarcastically at first, but soon he caught himself sincerely wishing that he knew what she was thinking about.

Neither of them had even taken notice to touch their drink yet. Candace remained staring at her quivering hands. She just looked so damn cold to Chase.

_Why doesn't she put on a jacket or something?_ _This girl…_ Chase was frustrated at Candace's sheepishness. _Why can't she just do what she wants? No one's judging her…_ Chase sighed, thinking over the situation the girl next to him was in. _Maybe she just needs a little push in the right direction. Something to make her feel safe!_ He let out a breath.

"Candace, stand up." He said with concern in his voice. Candace picked up on the thoughtful tone of the boy's voice, and complied.

Suddenly, Candace's nervousness was replaced with fear. It shook her to her core, and she began breathing heavily, but silently to herself. Chase also stood up, and began taking off his shirt. _Oh no. What's happening? What am I doing here? Oh no._ Candace cried in her thoughts, hyperventilating. Her throat felt dry and constricted and she her head was spinning and—_Hmm?_

Chase had slipped off the sweater he was wearing, leaving him only in a short sleeved white tee-shirt. "May I?" He asked, holding his sweater through the collar over Candace's head.

_Uh. _She thought. _Oh!_ She smiled widely, her dimples showing. "'Kay." She said quietly.

Chase slipped his sweater over Candace's head and she pushed her arms up through the sleeves. It was a bit too long for her, but Chase wasn't too much bigger than her, so it fit rather comfortably. _It's so warm. _Candace reflected. _It feels like a hug._ She was suddenly glad to be in that room with Chase, and couldn't help herself from beaming.

Chase saw Candace's teeth in full view for the first time in his life. Her happy face was beautiful; there was no simpler way for him to describe it. He became so excited that he didn't even care about how cold he was in just a T-shirt. He'd have done so much more if he had known that face was the reward.

Candace's breathing became steady again as she flopped her arms around in Chase's sweater. "Thanks." She stuck her tongue out.

"Yeah, well Merry Christmas." Chase looked away and quickly added, "How about that cider?"

"Wait!" Candace said sternly in her best serious voice.

"It's going to get cold!" Chase pouted as Candace darted into her room.

She came out with a bundle of green fabric, and stopped close to Chase. "Merry Christmas!" she squealed awkwardly as she thrust the sweater into Chase's arms.

"What? Oh, thanks!" He said as he unravelled the sweater Candace had given him. He turned it around to examine the front: a huge, pink heart with a crude, yet adorable smiley face. "This is nice. You're an amazing tailor, you know." Chase was genuinely in awe at the quality of the shirt. "Thanks Candace."

"Will you try it on?"

Chase had already started slipping into it when she asked. It was too big and he had to roll it up just to be able to see his hands. "If we wait any longer, the cider is going to go off." He stated curtly.

Candace quickly took up the seat next to Chase and grabbed her yet-untouched mug of cider. Without saying anything they both sipped the delicious beverage. The atmosphere was relaxed, and the cold was no longer an issue, for either of them.

"Hey," Chase said between sips of cider. He looked at his sweater and then to Candace. "I love it."

That smile again. It was Chase's turn to be bashful. The redness didn't ever leave his cheeks as the two finished their drinks in silence.


	2. Contact

Luna rushed down the road towards the carpenters' residence where Bo lived. She was getting into the spirit of the season; it was exciting for her to reach out to her neighbours, of which she had few to begin with. There was, however, one slight hurdle townsfolk faced when passing by Dale's Carpentry. _Okay, just don't make eye contact or else—_

_"En garde_!" Bo's much older brother Luke prepared his arm to fire the armful of snowballs he held.

Luna screeched, "Ah, no! Please, _please_ don't." She covered her face with the container full of cookies which bounced around as turned away from Luke, who lowered his arms and looked clearly disappointed.

"Aw, even though it's snowing? No fun." Luke lazily tossed away his snow balls left and right. When he held the last one, he took aim and fired at a tree trunk nearby and hit the side of it cleanly. He whispered a triumphant _"Yesss"_ to himself; Luna looked bored.

"I brought you guys some cookies…" She started slowly. On the way over she had thought up an elaborate pretence for her visit, but it seemed as though there was no need after all:

"Cookies!" Luke was gleeful in his exclamation. "They're trees! Hey Bo! Come get some tree cookies!"

_What a child_, Luna laughed to herself. _You can't help but love him._ She grinned and rolled her eyes as Luke grabbed four cookies and stacked them in his hand. They were still standing outside, and Bo peered out of the door. He ducked inside quickly, and then jumped out through the snow in ill-advised footwear that left little between his feet and the layer of snow that coated Waffle Island.

Luke nodded to Bo to acknowledge his arrival, and then carried on with business in his own little world. "I call this the four tree shredder-destruction-wave! Check it out!" The older brother didn't wait for his audience's full attention and bit the entire stack of 4 cookies in half, filling his mouth with crumbly confections. His next word was muffled, and he launched dry bits of cookie from his overloaded mouth into his brother's face unwittingly as he said it. "Extreme!"

Bo giggled, and brushed the cookie crumbs off of his shirt and jacket. "Cool," he said, which provided his big brother with more happiness. "Hi, Luna."

"Hi Bo!" Luna said, faking a nonchalant, neighbourly tone. "I hope I'm not intruding."

"_Heh heh_, don't worry about stuff like that… we're neighbours!" Bo said causing Luna to shift her weight uncomfortably. His big brother agreed and looked proud of his small-town spirit. "May I?" The boy asked, eying the cookies in front of him.

"My, my, so polite!" Luna half mocked, though she actually was impressed by the boy's manners. She offered him the container.

Bo happily took a cookie and chomped down on it. "Delicious. Thank you!"

"You're very welcome, sir."

"Why don't you guys come inside? I'm freezing out here." Bo looked down at his slippers, which were starting to get wet due to melted snow, and turned towards the door.

"Okay sure!" Luke said. "Later, though. That tree's looking at me funny and I don't leave scores like this unsettled." He eyed the large fir tree he previously hit with a snowball.

Luna motioned to follow Bo inside. "O-Okay. A short while couldn't hurt, right?" Then, fully realizing her surroundings, she looked to Luke, who was already rushing off to find his axe, and added, "Weirdo."

Bo chuckled to himself at that, as he led Luna into the building.

Luna broke the comfortable silence to begin probing for gift ideas. She was hell-bent on impressing Chase with a successful reconnaissance mission. "What have you done all day?" She asked innocently enough.

"Nothing much. I had the day off, so I've mostly just been playing video games since I got up."

"You must _love_ video games eh, Bo?" Luna felt live a private investigator; the tactical grace with which her interrogation proceeded made her stomach tighten in excitement.

"Hmm, not so much." Bo shrugged, throwing a game cartridge on Luna's lap. "This one is Luke's." The title was in Japanese, and Luna just stared at it: "どうぶつの森" it read.

"What _is_ this?" She asked, feeling a tad inadequate as she was unable to decipher the label of the children's game.

"It's the Japanese version of Animal Crossing." Bo said. I don't understand a word in it, but it's fun to walk around in it. He made a relaxed face and shrugged lazily. "Luke likes it though."

"He speaks Japanese? I never would have guessed! Luna was genuinely surprised. She grinned at the image of Luke, studying from a language textbook at a desk, wearing reading glasses. Well, the image of Luke paying full attention to _anything_ was pretty comical in Luna's mind.

"He thinks he speaks Japanese." Bo corrected. "He only bought the game 'cause he understands the title."

"What does it say?" Luna laughed, pointing to the cartridge and pressing in close to Bo.

"Let's see uh… _doh-u-bu?_" He paused to think, nodded, then continued._ "Tsu-no…_something." He read very slowly. Luke said this one means forest. He proudly pointed to the character "森".

"Oh… I think I know why Luke likes this game now." Luna sighed.

"The dude likes trees, man." Bo laughed heartily.

"Read me something else Japanese!" Luna requested, interested in Bo's intellectual side.

Bo got flustered. "Uh, I'm really not good… I don't know any words really."

Luna continued encouraging Bo to say something, but he just tried to change the subject. She was a little annoyed, but guessed that Bo must have thought that she was being annoying too. She decided to change the subject, to save herself some aggravation.

"What's on your Christmas list?" She blurted. _Subtle… just like a PI. Great work Luna._ She groaned inwardly.

"Same thing that always is." Bo looked dreamily into the distance. "…a Mercedes Benz. You?"

_Seriously? Cars…video games… All boys are identical_! Luna was frustrated. How was she supposed to keep under the $15 limit with a bratty wish-list like _that_?

"Anything else?" Luna chanced, hopefully.

"Nope." Bo bounced around in his seat playfully and popped Luke's game cartridge back into the game console it usually rested in.

"You're a clown. No one's going to get you a car. You don't even have a license!" Luna said.

"You don't _drive_ a Mercedes, Luna." Bo admonished jokingly. "You _admire _it."

"You need to get out more." The teenager put her forehead in her hands and shook her head dramatically.

Bo was smiling at their exchange, but looked a bit forlorn. The conversation hiccupped, but it was revived by Bo: "with who?"

"Hmm?" Luna grunted. She was looking at her watch, but she looked up to give her attention to Bo.

"There aren't any kids in this town." He exaggerated. "How am I supposed to get out? Where? There's no one to hang with except Luke. We don't exactly live in the big city, if you haven't noticed."

Luna was taken aback by the boy's sudden angst-y whining. "There is so much to do on this island!" Luna retorted almost angrily, but with a hint of understanding wavering in her voice. "We have friends—a community that's nearly self-sustaining. We live on the sea, in an island paradise. There's no crime like in the city…" Bo raised a mischievous finger to object to that final point but he was hushed by Luna. With both of their mouths forming half grins, she finished her lecture with a final point. "and you have a loving brother who looks out for you."

"Hmm, who does?" The door had opened, and Luke was kicking off his boots. "Bo? Ha!" he took off his gloves and whipped them at Bo's head. They were narrowly dodged by a still grinning Bo.

"Asshole." Bo called back to his brother playfully. "And you've got pine needles all over your face. Have you been making out with a tree or something?"

"For your information, I was just cutting down the biggest Christmas tree ever. Woo yeah!" He pumped his fist in the air to signify his victory. "Wait, why, did a cute tree say something about me?" He fluttered his eyebrows.

This curious exchange left Luna without words, but she didn't stop looking on. It was weird to her—she had always known Bo as the kid brother of Luke, but now she was realizing that the carpenter's youngest apprentice was growing up fast. At the very least, he was as mature as Luke already, for however much _that_ was worth.

"Hey, Luna, want to play some video games? Luke said, plunking down into a bean-bag chair near the TV.

"Oh, umm," She looked at her watch, pretending as if the time was going to affect her answer. "I really have to go; it was nice seeing you guys! We should hang out again soon!"

"Yeah, totally!" Bo stood up to show Luna to the door. "Thanks for the mini pep-talk Luna."

"And what was so _mini_ about it, may I ask?" Luna furrowed her brow. "What are you implying, mister?"

"You must have misunderstood me." Bo feigned a posh British accent. "I meant it was lovely talking such a mature young lady."

Luna stared on unimpressed, waiting.

"With a big heart?" Bo added hopefully.

"Jerk," Luna punched Bo's arm, a little harder than the playful force which she intended to.

"And so beautiful, too!" Bo let out, losing the accent. He was trying to ease the tension, though it may have had the opposite effect.

"You're such a lady-killer." Luna snorted, and her cheeks turned beet red.

Missing the chance to make fun of Luna a bit, Bo regained his lonely, forlorn look from earlier. He was alone on the island, and so the compliment from Luna was received as more of a taunt.

Not wanting to spoil the day's good mood, she looked to re-frame her quip in a well thought out and tactful manner. "Hey," she said, causing Bo to snap out of his soul-search-y vibe. He looked up at her with puppy dog eyes. "If you were a bit older, I'd totally date you."

_Not exactly making things less awkward here, Luna, _she chastised herself. Bo was smiling his goofiest smile and shrugging as Luna said her goodbyes and left in a hurry. She was still burning red despite the frigid winter air.

_Think non-embarrassing thoughts. Non-embarrassing thoughts! _Luna repeated as she cooled off. _What can I get Bo? A toy car? I guess, let's go with that. _An image of what Bo's genuine and goofy reaction to receiving her gift would be popped up in her mind and her cheeks flared up again. _Stupid._

She shook her head. _I need a gift less than a day from now! Maybe that smelly farmer girl has a toy car I can buy off of her. She likes boy things, right? Probably?_

_Ah, well. I'll think of something._


	3. Waiter? I Barely Know 'er!

The fir tree that Luke cut down stood in the main room of the Sundae Inn with beautiful decorations hanging off of it. The top of it was bent against the ceiling, and it was clearly a struggle to squeeze it into the establishment. This was evidenced by the pile of needles shaken off into the snow outside the front door.

Luna kicked some needles off of her shoes, and entered the inn. She was already running late, so she hastily knocked off her boots and rushed to the tree to deposit the present she prepared for Bo. She happily pulled a fist- sized, artfully wrapped box out of her coat pocket and placed it at the bottom of the tree. She hesitated as nervousness overtook her for brief moment, and then let out a sigh to relax. She lifted her hand from the box.

Mayor Hamilton greeted Luna with a hearty "Hello," and waddled over to her, seeming to continuously trip over his feet, but keeping a composed and jovial expression. "Welcome, welcome, little dumpling!" he exclaimed, pulling the tiny girl into a warm embrace.

"I'm not a kid!" Luna grunted into the old man's belly, pulling her squished face away from the hug. "I'm a lady." She bowed gracefully.

"'Course Ya'are, sprout." He agreed. "Come, come! You're the last to show up," Hamilton urged.

Luna turned red; some responsible adult _she_ was, holding up the festival. _Hey wait. Candace is…"_Hey, Candace isn't here yet!"

Hamilton paused, then remembered: "Ah yes, she came early and then left for the night. Said she wasn't feeling well, she did. She stayed not longer than a minute, and then left coughing. Quite the responsible lady, Candace is." Hamilton lauded.

"She—" _Grrr_… Luna grumbled to herself. _She's so full of junk._ The younger sister was annoyed at Candace for avoiding an opportunity to improve her social skills. _It's like she's not even trying!_

Hamilton politely excused himself and went into the back room of the inn. Luna looked around to see who was at the party, but her eyes were only met with was an imposing frame approaching her. "Luna!" it called to her.

Luna looked at the man through narrowed eyes. She sized up his boring try-hard outfit and gagged. The guy, Julius, thought _he_ was fashionable. Luna thought _she_ was fashionable. One would imagine they would get along, but they had differing opinions on too many points, unfortunately. "Nice shirt, Jack." She said to him.

"Jack? Whom do you mean?" Julius cocked his head to the side innocently and looked around, presumably for Jack.

"Sparrow? Jack Sparrow? Heard of him?" Luna jabbed.

"Oh play nice! I know you love this look." Julius flipped his hair with his hand, and it was true that Luna found him quite attractive. That was beside the point though. Julius had toyed with her sister's feelings for most of their lives, and hurting family was unforgivable.

"_Ugh!_" Luna grunted. "Fine, you're right. You look nice." Begrudgingly, Luna brightened the mood and let out her true opinion. _What are neighbours for, right?_

Julius exploded in dramatic thanks that was worthy of a Shakespearean play, and Luna laughed at the spectacle. _He's not a bad guy I guess… He's _unique_._ Luna always found herself reasoning this way when she spoke with Julius. She didn't really believe he had malicious intentions in his dealings with Candace. It just kind of happened. She still found it hard not to blame him for her sister's difficult circumstances.

Speaking of Candace, however, Luna's eye's caught on something across the room. She saw the Christmas present Candace nervously and painstakingly made for Julius, despite Luna's concerned warnings. She smiled triumphantly, despite herself. It was wrapped around a warm looking waiter, who looked a little uncomfortable displaying the huge pink heart on his chest.

* * *

Luke approached Chase. "I didn't know the party was ugly Christmas sweater themed," he roared, mocking Chase's fashion sense. The green sweater with a pink heart was draped over his body; even though he had rolled up the sleeves to make it look somewhat fitting, it looked like a child's hand-me-down from their big brother.

"I didn't know it was ugly _face_ themed," Chase fired back.

"Where'd you get it?" Luke ignored Chase's insult. "I'm thinking of getting one like it." There was endless sarcasm in Luke's tone, as was to be expected from the waiter's best friend.

"Bought it." Chase lied, in an off-handed manner, dismissing the conversation. Luke understood that his friend was telling him to stop asking questions. He dropped it; the two of them got beers and met up with some other townsfolk to extend their conversation beyond sarcasm and insults.

Eventually, a squeaky broadcast through a low-end PA system cut the air of the Inn. "It's time to start the gift exchange!" Mayor Hamilton intonated with an exciting flair that townsfolk had come to expect from the charismatic mayor of Waffle Island.

Everyone congregated around the tree and gave the Mayor their attention. He got the gift exchange underway smoothly, and all of the people had great fun watching the others open their presents. Even Candace, who wasn't at the event, had a positive effect on the mood through the gift she made for Luke: a high quality green and purple version of the flame-decorated bandana he wore everywhere.

"Aw yeah, what _up_!" The energetic carpenter shouted in victory. "How did she know? That chick's got some mad ESP or something."

Chase, who was standing beside Luke, rolled his eyes. "You haven't shut up about a new bandana. It's exactly to the specifications you gave everyone in the town too… The only surprise is that you're still surprised, tree-brain."

Luke snapped around on his friend. "Don't make light of the intelligence of the Ents…" he warned in a dark tone. In a dramatic whisper he continued: "The trees whisper secrets human minds cannot comprehend" He shifted his eyes knowingly.

"Okay _spaz_." Chase warned. He pushed Luke's dramatic face away from his ear, and Luke pushed him back and grabbed him into a headlock.

In high spirits, the gift exchange soon winded to an end, and Hamilton got on to the microphone one last time that night, with a beer in hand from behind the bar. "Everyone…" He began, raising a glass and motioning for others to do the same. "To a very Merry Christmas!" He knocked back a large portion of his beer, to the cheers of the riled up and happy crowd.

The townspeople began milling about. The older of them getting alcoholic drinks while the children (Luna included, much to her complaint) drank sugary soft drinks and non-alcoholic eggnog.

In the midst of the party, Bo made his way over to Luna to give his thanks to her for the gift he received. "Hi Luna." He said through a sip of the wine that Luke put into his hand, unsolicited.

"You smell, Wine-o" Luna wrinkled her nose at the smell of alcohol coming from Bo's glass.

Bo sipped wine through a straw and choked. As he coughed, Luna looked concerned but giggled when Bo waved her off. "I'm okay, I'm okay. I wanted to say… thanks for the present." He was catching his breath. "I'm sure they're delicious." He laughed politely and examined the fancy box of chocolates his pink haired Santa had given him.

"Open them." She whispered, grinning excitedly.

Bo nonchalantly lifted the lid, which revealed 10 or so designer chocolates, and… "a card!" he exclaimed.

Luna smiled and squirmed in her seat expectantly.

Bo read the card aloud, slowly. "Merry Christmas Bo. Thanks for being a good neighbour. Whenever you feel lonely, just know I'm here too! Let's talk again sometime." He paused, then continued reading. "Smiley face."

The boy's eyes shifted to the end of the card, which had a dotted border, as if asking to be cut out. Inside the rectangle it read, in Luna's perfect cursive, "One Free Date—redeemable any time." Bo looked up questioningly at Luna; he looked confused.

"It's kind of stupid," the pink-faced girl admitted. "I just didn't want you to feel like there's no one for you in Waffle Town, when you have everyone!" She motioned widely across the room. "Merry Christmas." She hugged the boy, who's face had lost a bit of colour. She held on, and Bo put on hand on Luna's back and tapped it.

"Merry Christmas," He returned, awkwardly.

Luna and Bo sat talking and laughing at a table for a while after that. Other townspeople came and mingled, but the pair stayed chatting happily. Soon though, a concerned looking blonde girl came and contrasted with the cheerful mood.

"Where's Chase? Have you seen Chase?" She was in frenzy. "No one's seen him, I think he might've gotten sick and left! If he's sick… Oh, I hope he's not mad at me… I made sure I didn't use the same knife on the cake and the raw chicken… Right?" She paused thoughtfully. "I… uh oh." She cried and continued raving on about other things.

"Maya, its okay." Luna comforted her gangly friend. "Chase said he just felt tired and was going to call it a night." She lied. "He didn't want to trouble anyone by leaving… well except me apparently." She wrinkled her nose.

"Oh, thank goodness." She sighed. "Well, back to the kitchen then! The Christmas pudding isn't going to bake itself!" Maya hurried off and left Luna and Bo alone once again.

"Why'd you lie?" Bo asked.

Luna's face grew into a devilish grin. "Because I know where Chase went… and I'm gonna screw with that little brat."

"Wha—I thought you liked Chase?" Bo was worried.

"Ha! I do." Luna corrected, to the boy's relief. "But still, he blew me off twice now. I deserve some answers, don't you agree?"

"I…I guess so?"

Luna's madness manifested fully in her features, and she got up excitedly. "Come on, Bo. How about you take me on that date?"


	4. Sarcastic Chipmunks in the Forest

Candace felt the chill that she had felt only twice before in her life; She knew what was coming next. That night she walked alone, through the trees. She thought it was safe… and it usually was. However this night, she knew now, was to be the end of her foolish luck.

The wolves that cracked the sticks on the ground as they stalked her had finally attacked. In an instant it would all be over. She supposed that she led a full life. She was fortunate enough to have a loving grandmother to raise her, and a caring sister to help her through the hard times. _Well, except this one_, Candace thought with a hint of bitterness, reflecting upon how nice it would have been to be saved from this poor, sick twist of fate.

She felt the pad of one wolf's claw grasp her shoulder and let out a deafening "Agh!" as a final warning of where one could find her body.

"Meow." The wolf was smiling.

The fear reached it's apex and Candace's chest skipped a beat. Perhaps it wasn't a wolf? _Oh like it matters, _she thought sarcastically. She turned around hopelessly.

"Meow." Chase stood behind her, with his hand still on her shoulder. An annoying look of satisfaction plastered his face…_huh?_

"NOT meow!" Candace yelled, the adrenaline from her "near death" experience still pumping through her blood. "You scared the _life_ out of me." Her breathing was rapid and heavy; puffs of condensed breath floated out from above the purple knit scarf that her face was wrapped in.

Chase slowly started laughing, and as Candace calmed herself down, she chuckled a bit too, despite herself.

Candace, who was used to over-thinking things, was happy that things turned out better than her expectations that particular night in the woods. That's one benefit of being an introvert: the worst hardly ever happens. She was happy, though once she finished smiling she left little indication of that fact on her face.

Chase looked curious, but a little worried when he asked: "What are you doing this far from the path?"

"What are _you_ doing here?" She quickly returned.

The boy looked annoyed. "I went to check on you at your place." Chase said, to Candace's unspoken delight. "You weren't there, but I followed your footprints on my way home. And when they branched off into the forest, I was just curious."

"Oh. Well come then, we're almost there." Candace led the way through the underbrush of the unpaved forest. The confused Chase had a bit of trouble keeping up on account of the snow, but they both soon emerged into a little clearing, with a few simple seats made out of a fallen tree.

"Woah." Chase exclaimed. Taking in the simple beauty of the quaint clearing "What is this place?"

"It's my secret place." Candace looked exceptionally proud of the abode that she made with Luna as children.

"It's nice," Chase said truthfully. He leaned against a tree as Candace sat down. They watched the snow fall in silence; neither could think of anything to say that would make the hideaway more pleasant to be in. In lieu of conversation chase elected to join Candace on the far side of the log and watch the snow.

_Snap_. A broken stick. "Wolves!" Candace shrieked. _Thump_. White replaced her vision as a snowball exploded on her shoulder.

Chase shot up and bent to the ground. He stood up with a quickly made light snowball and returned fire. If it was the humans versus the wolves, Chase wasn't going to go down without a fight.

When Candace wiped the snow out of her eyes, she once again was pleasantly surprised not to be dinner for wolves. Her sister, Bo and Chase were throwing snow at each other. It took Candace a little while to register what was going on, but a snowball originating from Bo's hand hitting Chase in the chest and exploding onto his chin motivated Candace to join the fray.

It was too cold to make much of a cohesive snowball from the powdery snow, but Candace was feeling determined—to get revenge for both her own numb face and her friend's honour. She removed her gloves and melted snow in her warm hands until she had a manageable projectile, then squeezed her eyes shut and let it fire. She never was very accurate when she had snowball fights with Luna as kids, so it was surprising when Bo let out a sharp cry.

All eyes were on Bo, who was still standing, but feeling the effects of the hit. Tears welled in his right eye as a result of the blow, but the left side of his face was in good condition. Luna poured over him to asses the damage.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," He laughed, wiping melted snow crystals off of his face with the tips of his fingers. Bo had a few scrapes across his eye, and a small amount of blood trickled down his brow. "I'm good, really." He repeated, dismissing Luna's concerned probing at the cuts on his face.

By then the four of them had stopped launching snow. Candace stood close with the others soon, and was profusely apologizing to Bo. "I'm so s-sorry. I didn't mean—oh no." She panicked as she saw the drop of blood forming on bow's eyebrow. Her hands hovered over Bo's face, then pulled away delicately. Candace was on the verge of tears despite Bo's repeated assurance that everything was okay.

Meanwhile, Luna had snuck around behind Candace in the commotion.

"Eek!" Candace yelped as Luna poured snow down her back. She squirmed and whined, causing Luna to snicker, despite feeling somewhat guilty.

Candace unzipped her winter coat grabbed the bottom of her sweater, shaking any loose snow all the way down her back and onto the ground below.

Luna was still giggling when she asked, "What's with that ugly sweater?" She was eyeing the sweater Chase had lent to her older sister the day before.

Candace's red cheeks turned hot and she stole a nervous glance sideways at her interesting companion. She wished she could have wiped the smug smile that she stared at her with off of his face, but the warmness in his eyes seemed to convey no cruel intentions behind his expression.

Candace caught herself staring at Chase, because she was only snapped out of it by her sister's voice.

"Come on, we've got to get something for your eye." Luna whistled to Bo. She grabbed his hand in hers and skipped off towards the town; Bo did not object.

"O-okay, bye… sorry." Candace waved. "I had fun!" And despite the stinging on her skin, she really did. It was a nice night; just like she used to spend together with Luna when they were playing as kids.

"Me too!" Bo enthusiastically waved, not feeling the drop of blood dripping down his nose. Candace cringed, and looked guiltily at the ground.

For the third time in the past two days, Chase and Candace were alone. "Hey, I like your sweater," Chase joked sarcastically.

"Shush."

"Do laundry often?"

"Shush!" Candace scolded. She quickly closed her jacket and zipped it up. "I'm cold now. I need to go take care of grandma, bye." She pretended to be hurt by Chase's sarcastic remarks. She didn't really want to act that way though. She knew he was trying to reach out in his own way.

In fact, even though Chase was wrapped in a warm winter coat, Candace realized when she first saw him that night that he was wearing the sweater she gave him. She had spent an hour adjusting that collar; it wasn't like she didn't recognize it poking out of his jacket, framing his face in plain sight.

"Wait." Chase stopped her. He was doing exactly what Candace wanted him to do, even though she didn't have the courage to admit it out loud. Despite that, the command chilled Candace. She hated not knowing what was coming next; she wanted something familiar, and quickly, but that proved impossible when she was with the enigmatic boy in front of her.

"Can I come too?" Chase looked at her like a kid.

Candace was surprised. He looked so open... it was a side of Chase she had hoped was there since she met him; it made her feel the opposite of lonely. _Yes of course you can come, idiot._ "I don't know if gram…" She managed. _Why is this so hard to say?_ Frustration overtook the features of her face.

Chase's face sunk, but he persisted. "Come on, I was going to make chocolate cookies tonight. But it's so much better when there is someone else to eat them."

Thoughts of Chase being alone on Christmas Eve made Candace inappropriately perturbed. It hit home to her how lonely he must have felt too, not having any family on the island. Maybe the two of them weren't so different after all. It was Chase's honest persistence, more than anything, which gave Candace the courage to give him a chance.

"And I'll make hot cocoa to go with them, and I'll help you grandma cook dinner, and…" Chase continued in a half-mocking tone, but he was fully serious and just excited to do anything in the kitchen.

She sighed and rolled her eyes. The short time she had passed with Chase in the past two days had made her comfortable. And with a comfortable atmosphere, Candace finally had the chance to try and have a normal social interaction with someone other than her family. "You'd make a good wife someday."

…A s_omewhat_ normal social interaction. Candace started to apologize and try to explain her comment, and she quickly reverted to her usual defensive social habits.

Chase's face lit up though, and he looked back with thankful eyes that screamed _you would too_, but Candace did not have the confidence yet to recognize the value in those eyes. He painted a cocky grin across his face and exclaimed proudly, "Heh, I know I would."

_Even his smile is sarcastic_. Candace thought. Chase seemed to constantly annoy her, but it was through his annoyance that she was able to grow as a person. If she never pushed herself out of her comfort zone, she would never be able to open up. And when she was with Chase, she saw something that was worth the struggle to become more outgoing.

"Come on," She said, and waited for Chase to lead the way towards town.

"Thanks." Chase said sincerely; it was perhaps the only sincere thing she had ever heard him say. She burned the scene into her memory with a mental note: _This is what Chase sounds like when he's serious._

Candace realized then that she might not be the only person who had trouble opening up to others. The world as a place full of loud extroverts surrounding a lone, shy seamstress seemed ridiculous, even though that's how she had felt for most of her adult life. After that night, she began to suppose that everyone could feel shy and lonely sometimes.

Chase snapped Candace out of her thoughts by brushing a bit of snow, remnants of Luna's attack, off of her shoulder. He half expected her to jump and shriek like she did earlier, but it came as a surprise when she grabbed his hand and turned around.

She paused, and looked up at Chase through her eyebrows. He was mildly surprised, at her reaction, but he was _a whole lot_ more surprised when she pressed up against him and kissed his cheek.

_Brain shutdown_. Chase stood in the snowy forest, his mind a clean slate. As his CPU rebooted and senses came back to him he smiled in realization. _What was _that?He might have been as confused as a chipmunk in space. _Why am I floating? _He wondered._ There is no where to bury nuts. RUN AWAY THERE'S A HUMAN! Oh yeah… Candace…_ he thought dreamily, turning the name over in his head thoughtfully.

The girl had shied away after her brief outburst, and pulled the hood of her jacket over her head to shield herself from the consequences of her actions.

"Thanks Candace," was all Chase could manage. He was still a little shocked, but so pleasantly surprised at the girl's wild streak he had no room for any sarcasm.

"…'erry. Christm…. " Candace looked down into her scarf which muffled her words.

The wind picked up as the two stood in silence. Snow drifted between them in a shivering white cloud which began to renew the footprints they created, leaving a fresh blanket of snow covering the forest floor.

The pair was infinitely aware of the freezing cold, but only for lack of feeling it. They were protected by fluffy sweaters and warm feelings; no weather could get between the two friends.

Nor could it prevent them from drawing nearer… and slowly nearer still, to the point where their freezing lips closed the snowy distance between them.

Night had fallen, and a wolf howled in the distance. Standing on her tip-toes with her head up-turned and an arm around her, Candace waved her hand in a regally dismissive gesture at the animal's call, and kissed the boy again, more gracefully than she had on her first try.


	5. Outta this world! (drabble)

Luna walked Bo to the door of the Sundae Inn. "Thanks, that was hilarious. I had a great time."

Bo reached into his pocket for the card he received from Luna. He ripped out the ticket reading _One Free Date—redeemable at any time_ and handed it to her. "Me too." He said.

Luna stared at the piece of paper he was handing her. She looked Bo up and down, and laughed.

"Why don't ya hang onto that." She winked, and pinched Bo's cheek. Then, she stood thoughtfully, with eyes upturned for a moment and pecked Bo on the cheek.

:3


End file.
